Devils & DeBoer working on contract extension

[DevilsFanInFla]

I actually agree on Jim with Trotz...he'd be more of the same

won what, 1 playoff series in his time there? what forwards did he develop?

This is my point. Everyone saying Trotz would be so awesome but he has actually won less than PDB in his 15 or 16 years with Nashville. Perhaps some of that you can chalk up to a bad roster but seriously, 2 playoff wins in 16 years means you're just not a good coach. If eh was so great at developing talent, especially over that amount of time, he would have had more success. That's a pretty big sample size so it's not as though we're looking at a flash in the pan here. I wouldn't want Trotz coaching this team as it would be more of the same but potentially worse.

 

[JimEIV]

"If" Elias scored 20+, Ryder scored 20+, Zajac scored 20+, to go along with Henrique and Jagr...
We wouldn't be having a lot of these conversations

 

[Devils Unseen Hand]

"If" Elias scored 20+, Ryder scored 20+, Zajac scored 20+, to go along with Henrique and Jagr...
We wouldn't be having a lot of these conversations

True.

I miss the passion & fire Pete showed us for only a handful of games.

I want the Petey D. that had that "someone pissed in my corn flakes & they're going pay" attitude. The guy who got fired up to play our rivals.

The kind of coach who wanted to get the blood pumping of both; the players & fans. Get the opposition pissed off with something unexpected.

A coach who shows total disrespect for the 'home team' and says, "The Devils are here and your ass is ours! So go **** yourself!"

Then starts a game off like this:



Yeah, we may have lost that game, but I want that fire back. We have no identity right now. Nothing but a paper tiger.

I can handle watching the Devils lose when I see a 100% effort on the ice for 60 minutes. Players & a coach that play with a purpose, not go through the motions. Playing our younger guys to help develop them.

 

[Unknown Caller]

A paper tiger is a team that looks dominant on paper but doesn't perform on the ice. This team is not a paper tiger.

 

[Devils Unseen Hand]

A paper tiger is a team that looks dominant on paper but doesn't perform on the ice. This team is not a paper tiger.

We got pushed around & had the game dictated to us all season. Especially by weaker opponents who wanted it more than us.

Out hit, out hustled, not much of anything to brag about except they hung around in games they should have won outright & blown out by teams (who on paper) that had no business doing so.

So yeah, they're a paper tiger. No one feared this team by any stretch of the imagination. Especially the shoot-out!

 

[JimEIV]

We got pushed around & had the game dictated to us all season. Especially by weaker opponents who wanted it more than us.

Out hit, out hustled, not much of anything to brag about except they hung around in games they should have won outright & blown out by teams (who on paper) that had no business doing so.

So yeah, they're a paper tiger. No one feared this team by any stretch of the imagination. Especially the shoot-out!

I think this is a bigger problem than anyone is willing to admit. The team is soft. They are out hit just about every night and there is very little fire in the lineup. There is no player in this lineup capable of settling down the other team...You don't need a tough guys either...Jamie Langenbrunner in his prime could bring the fire and never dropped the gloves...


Part of that is a byproduct of having an old team. 38 year olds aren't going to be throwing their body around with with reckless abandon and making statements around the net when their goalie is disrespected. This is part of the reason the 4th line was so very disappointing to me this season...If not them then who?

 

[Richer's Ghost]

being 28th in hits and then signing Clowe to be the "rough customer" for the team may not end up being the solution Lou thought it would be. 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

At least Volch sorta got his game back on track with some hitting but it's still far from where it should be. Carter can't carry all the forwards with Clowe out. Zubrus fell off quite a bit too.

 

[MartyOwns]

I think there's a big difference in blown leads due to xyz and blown leads because the coach lost the team. a lot of teams blow leads due to xyz...that's largely a player problem. if you're saying deboer lost the room, you're out to lunch. at a Golden Corral buffet, waiting for the ethnic family in front of you to stop arguing so you can get to the mashed potatoes.

 

[devilsblood]

I think this is a bigger problem than anyone is willing to admit. The team is soft. They are out hit just about every night and there is very little fire in the lineup. There is no player in this lineup capable of settling down the other team...You don't need a tough guys either...Jamie Langenbrunner in his prime could bring the fire and never dropped the gloves...


Part of that is a byproduct of having an old team. 38 year olds aren't going to be throwing their body around with with reckless abandon and making statements around the net when their goalie is disrespected. This is part of the reason the 4th line was so very disappointing to me this season...If not them then who?

We grind but don't hit? I haven't seen it as that much of a problem really.

 

[devilsblood]

being 28th in hits and then signing Clowe to be the "rough customer" for the team may not end up being the solution Lou thought it would be. 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

At least Volch sorta got his game back on track with some hitting but it's still far from where it should be. Carter can't carry all the forwards with Clowe out. Zubrus fell off quite a bit too.

Ruutu did like to hit guys. Clowe did too but....

And though guys thought it as a sign of him not playing "his game" but I think Gelinas has some good potential here. Seemed a little slow on delivery this past season. Just a step late fairly often, and didn't do well keeping his skates under him post hit, which one would not expect from a guy who is a good skater. But still, plenty big, and yeah a good skater.

 

[JimEIV]

We grind but don't hit? I haven't seen it as that much of a problem really.

You're talking about style of play, I'm talking about toughness.

Toughness has little to do with style of play. You can have tough mean and intimidating players in any type of system.

What current Devil has an edge to his game? What current devil plays with a mean streak? What current devil has the ability to calm down a player crashing into the goaltender? This is a very soft team...I'm not sure what happened to Bernier this year but he and Carter provided a lot of that in the 2012 playoffs...Maybe it was just a one shot deal? A flash in the pan?

 

[MartyOwns]

gionta has toughness. but he doesn't win as many faceoffs as zajac and he isn't a swedish high round pick so who cares, right? grit is that Trait That Shall Not Be Named. same with a goalies wins

 

[Unknown Caller]

You're talking about style of play, I'm talking about toughness.

Toughness has little to do with style of play. You can have tough mean and intimidating players in any type of system.

What current Devil has an edge to his game? What current devil plays with a mean streak? What current devil has the ability to calm down a player crashing into the goaltender? This is a very soft team...I'm not sure what happened to Bernier this year but he and Carter provided a lot of that in the 2012 playoffs...Maybe it was just a one shot deal? A flash in the pan?

Completely agree, it's like we're the only team in the league that lets you run the goalie. Any other team takes your head off if you go anywhere near the net after the whistle. The Devils just stare and skate away.

 

[Unknown Caller]

gionta has toughness. but he doesn't win as many faceoffs as zajac and he isn't a swedish high round pick so who cares, right? grit is that Trait That Shall Not Be Named. same with a goalies wins

Grit and toughness are two completely different things.

 

[JimEIV]

I used to say if you could put Brian Gionta's heart in Viktor Kozlov's body you have the perfect hockey player.

 

[Wingman77]

I think this is a bigger problem than anyone is willing to admit. The team is soft. They are out hit just about every night and there is very little fire in the lineup. There is no player in this lineup capable of settling down the other team...You don't need a tough guys either...Jamie Langenbrunner in his prime could bring the fire and never dropped the gloves...


Part of that is a byproduct of having an old team. 38 year olds aren't going to be throwing their body around with with reckless abandon and making statements around the net when their goalie is disrespected. This is part of the reason the 4th line was so very disappointing to me this season...If not them then who?

being 28th in hits and then signing Clowe to be the "rough customer" for the team may not end up being the solution Lou thought it would be. 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

At least Volch sorta got his game back on track with some hitting but it's still far from where it should be. Carter can't carry all the forwards with Clowe out. Zubrus fell off quite a bit too.

Bernier, Carter and Zubrus all for whatever reason cut off the amount of hitting they used to do this year

Zajac, Jagr, Elias, Brunner, and Ryder don't hit

That's 8 of our forwards

The only guys we saw somewhat consistent hitting or physical contact from were Henrique, Clowe when he was healthy, Gionta, and Ruutu when he came over

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Devils are a thick and physical team. We will be lower in hits stats because our scorekeeper undercounts them. We are also a high possession team, and generally speaking you can't hit when you have the puck.

The Devils were 17th in the NHL in road hits, 30th in home hits.

Anyone claiming team physicality or toughness is an issue is just making stuff up.

High end skill, the skill that scores you goals, is what the Devils lack.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Devils are a thick and physical team. We will be lower in hits stats because our scorekeeper undercounts them. We are also a high possession team, and generally speaking you can't hit when you have the puck.

The Devils were 17th in the NHL in road hits, 30th in home hits.

Anyone claiming team physicality or toughness is an issue is just making stuff up.

High end skill, the skill that scores you goals, is what the Devils lack.

thank you.

 

[MartyOwns]

Grit and toughness are two completely different things.

I think saying 'Grit and toughness are two completely different things.' is a typical message board post that is just blatantly false, but when phrased right makes the poster seem to have some intimate knowledge of the subject. they're basically the same thing unless you're splitting hairs

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Generally speaking, one should never utilize hits or blocked shots stats without consulting the home/away splits, as well as how the team fares in possession.

Typically teams chasing the puck are the ones with more hits and blocked shots.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Devils are a thick and physical team. We will be lower in hits stats because our scorekeeper undercounts them. We are also a high possession team, and generally speaking you can't hit when you have the puck.

The Devils were 17th in the NHL in road hits, 30th in home hits.

Anyone claiming team physicality or toughness is an issue is just making stuff up.

High end skill, the skill that scores you goals, is what the Devils lack.

Excellent point. Couldn't have said it better.

 

[VaxjoDevil]

Devils are a thick and physical team. We will be lower in hits stats because our scorekeeper undercounts them. We are also a high possession team, and generally speaking you can't hit when you have the puck.

The Devils were 17th in the NHL in road hits, 30th in home hits.

Anyone claiming team physicality or toughness is an issue is just making stuff up.

High end skill, the skill that scores you goals, is what the Devils lack.

Completely agree with this.

 

[Devils Unseen Hand]

Devils are a thick and physical team. We will be lower in hits stats because our scorekeeper undercounts them. We are also a high possession team, and generally speaking you can't hit when you have the puck.

The Devils were 17th in the NHL in road hits, 30th in home hits.

Anyone claiming team physicality or toughness is an issue is just making stuff up.

High end skill, the skill that scores you goals, is what the Devils lack.

But again, the opposition doesn't fear us at all. Someone cuts across the blue line there is no punishment. Like Jim stated above, our guys are too old or too injury prone to want to be part of that type of game.

Gionta shouldn't be our hitter. Neither should Clowe. We are a push-over team.

Our Albany squad is a tougher squad than what the big club put on the ice.

 

[BahlDeep]

Devils are a thick and physical team. We will be lower in hits stats because our scorekeeper undercounts them. We are also a high possession team, and generally speaking you can't hit when you have the puck.

The Devils were 17th in the NHL in road hits, 30th in home hits.

Anyone claiming team physicality or toughness is an issue is just making stuff up.

High end skill, the skill that scores you goals, is what the Devils lack.

Yup seems legit

 

[JimEIV]

Focusing on hits either way doesn't paint the true story of how soft this team is...

You go from Parise, Ponikarovsky, Clarkson and the way the 4th line played in 2012...to Ryder, Brunner, Clowe and the way the 4th line played in 2014... eww I puked a little...but you keep regurgitating numbers...there is no difference in team toughness... none at all...I sometimes wonder if some people even watch these games?